Increasing CHO Cell Productivity
Overexpressing the gene Pabpc1 in CHO cell cultures increases productivity by 30–50%, offering a broadly applicable strategy to engineer highly productive cell lines for antibody production. The post Increasing CHO Cell Productivity appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News .
Overexpression of a specific gene, Pabpc1, in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells led to a significant increase in protein production, according to research from BeOne Medicines. Published in a recent paper, the findings suggest that introducing the Pabpc1 gene into CHO cells could potentially enhance the expression of other genes or improve specific product attributes.
The study demonstrated that Pabpc1 increases protein titers in CHO cell lines by 30–50%, with the greatest gains observed in bispecific antibodies (50% productivity increase), trispecific antibodies (32% increase), and monoclonal antibodies (30% increase). The expression levels of the overexpressed cells were nearly identical to those of cells with an empty vector, serving as a control group.
Furthermore, Pabpc1 overexpression may positively impact cellular metabolism by reducing the accumulation of toxic by-products such as lactic acid and ammonia, creating a more favorable environment for protein production. Though the exact mechanism behind the enhanced productivity is not fully understood, the researchers observed an interaction between Pabpc1 and a eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), which accelerates translation initiation, leading to improved protein production both at the individual cell and overall titer levels.
The team emphasizes that the effectiveness of this strategy hinges on the compatibility between the Pabpc1 gene's functions and the intrinsic productivity bottlenecks of host cells. The researchers plan to further refine this strategy and explore its potential for application in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
Written by urgent.news from GEN Biotechnology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
